Runaways
by hellmouth princess
Summary: Draco and Dawn are both sick of living in other peoples shadows, and so they run away and meet up. Hp crossover, DracoDawn friendship. Now with added chapter! And AN chapter removed
1. Prologue

SUMMARY: Draco and Dawn are both sick of living in other peoples shadows, and so they run away and meet up. Hp crossover, Draco/Dawn. Yes the summary is bad, fingers crossed the story is better  
  
SPOILERS: Set in the Buffy verse about a year after 'Chosen', so spoilers up to there. In Harry Potter Land they're in their sixth year so whole series. Dawn and Draco are both sixteen. (Yeah, maybe Dawn should be older if it's a year after Chosen but she's not)  
  
DISLAIMER: Not mine, all characters property of Joss and JK Rowling and other people.  
  
Can I just say I hate this pairing. Draco is a fave character of mine, and Dawn is definitely not, but I just got this idea and had to write it.  
  
FEEDBACK: Yes please, in large quantities  
  
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Prologue:  
  
Dawn  
  
Dawn Summers was fed up. She had been travelling with her sister for nearly a year now. The hellmouth was closed but there was still so much to do. At first she thought it would be cool, she got to see a lot of not just America, but the world. Buffy was picking up new slayers, telling them about what they could be if they wanted to.  
  
Willow was travelling with them, being super witch. She had already bound the powers of all the potentials under thirteen. If they said no to being a slayer then they would have their powers bound. All those who said yes were allocated a watcher or sent to 'slayer school' in LA, which was run by Principal Wood and Faith. Wood took care of the school side of things, while Faith did the slayer part.  
  
Yet all Dawn seemed to do was listen to other people being told they could do great things. To everybody she ever seemed to meet she was just 'Buffy's little sister'. She never got to go to a normal school for more than a month or so. She had tried staying at the school in LA but she could only really take part in half the lessons. She had considered living at the school and going to a normal high school but she would never fit in properly. She wouldn't be able to explain to the people at High School why she lived at a special boarding school but didn't attend classes there, and she would be the weird one at the slayer school. It was ironic to be the one to stick out because she was the only one who was even half normal.  
  
She looked out the window at all the clouds. One good thing about her new life, she had grown accustomed to flying, she never felt ill on planes like she had slightly when she was younger. They were headed back to LA for six days to check how the school was going. Buffy liked to be hands on about everything; she liked to make sure that everybody she had seen was settling in OK. After that they were going to Spain to inform another slayer of her possible destiny.  
  
Buffy was asleep beside her, and Willow beside her. They generally slept on plane journeys; Dawn was trying to catch up on some work. She had been doing work that was sent to her by the slayer school so she wouldn't fall behind. She tried to concentrate on the math problem in front of her. She knew the respective teachers would want all this done by the time they reached LA in a few hours, but all she could think about was how much her life sucked. She wanted desperately to be something other than Buffy Summers little sister.  
  
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Draco  
  
He had been back at school for a week and he was already hating it, not that home was much better. His father's topic of the summer had been how Draco would get the dark mark at the end of the year. Draco had been too afraid to say that he did not want the dark mark. He had already heard other people mentioning that they were going to get it.  
  
Draco wasn't sure why he didn't want it. He hated muggles, and he hated mudbloods. Surely getting rid of them was a good thing? His only guess was it was the following that he didn't want to do. Everybody expected him to become a death eater just like his father. That was all he was, Malfoy. He wanted to do something different for a change, something that made people think he was more than just a Malfoy. He sighed at the thought, he knew eventually he would become a death eater; he wouldn't be able to stand up to his father. In the end he would just be a Malfoy  
  
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It'll get more exciting I promise. 


	2. Chapter One: Forming a Plan

Ok I know this is short but the next chapter should be longer. As always REVIEW, please.  
  
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Chapter One: Forming a plan  
  
Being back at the slayer school was just a pain in the ass. Everybody else was so busy except her. The students had all their classes and training. Buffy was helping to teach them to fight. Willow was busy doing magic stuff and Dawn was left in her room. The only improvement was she understood the TV in this country.  
  
"Busy?" asked a voice from the door, interrupting her self pitying thoughts.  
  
"Xander!" she said and jumped up to hug him. "Where have you been, we got here yesterday and I haven't seen you!"  
  
"Yeah, I was busy. The new slayers tend to forget their own strength at times. It causes them to break things and make work for me"  
  
"Having fun then?" she asked sarcastically  
  
"You don't look too happy" he remarked  
  
"Yeah. I'm just bored here. I don't fit in because I'm too damn normal. I don't fit in anywhere anymore"  
  
"Hey, don't be like that Dawnie. You'll find your place"  
  
"Like you have?" Dawn cringed immediately. "I didn't mean that, it just came out"  
  
"I think I just gave up looking" he said sadly. "Certain" he paused, searching for the word "'Events' hit me hard"  
  
"Anya?" she asked softly.  
  
"Yeah, Anya"  
  
"Well" she said, much less softly "I think if Anya could talk to you right now, she would tell you to suck it up and get over it. Stop following everybody else, go out and make loads of money to buy pretty things"  
  
Xander couldn't help it, he laughed. It was the first time he had laughed in a long time. "I think you could be right. It's just hard"  
  
"But you feel it too here right? That you don't belong?" she asked  
  
"I guess so, it's just easy here. I know I can't stay forever but leaving is going to be hard because I have to make it on my own" he laughed again "I came here because I thought you needed comforting, looks like you've turned the tables.  
  
She smiled. "I think this chat has kinda helped me too"  
  
"Well" said Xander standing up from the bed. "I've gotta go, all those girls running around just searching for something to destroy"  
  
"Bye" she said. A plan was forming in her head as he left, she smiled,  
  
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Draco slammed his fist into a wall as soon as he was safely in the empty dorm. He hated this place, hated it so much. He had noticed that already the firs years that he had never spoken to were scared shitless of him. For the first time he wasn't proud of his reputation, he was pissed off by it.  
  
Thankfully he had a plan though. A plan that may finally get him away from all these people who could never see past the 'Malfoy' name.  
  
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If you read the summary then can you guess what the plans are? Hmm, tricky! Yeah I know its loads on dawn an a few lines on Draco but I was totally stuck on what to write about Draco. There's a big Draco bit coming up in the next chapter though.  
  
Next chapter: They actually meet! 


	3. Chapter Two: The plan

There may be a few weird bits in here that don't fit about airports and flying because I changed some stuff about the airports so if you see anything that looks wrong or any references to Miami let me know and I'll correct it.  
  
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Chapter Two: The plan  
  
It was four in the morning. One of the few times when the whole building was quiet. The patrollers had got home an hour or two ago and were all sleeping and not even the early risers would wake for at least another hour. Four in the morning was one of the few moments of peace at Slayer School. That was why Dawn had chosen this moment to leave. She had a large rucksack on her back and about three hundred dollars from a piggy bank she had been saving up in. She also had a bank card with another couple of hundred dollars in the account. She was all set to leave.  
  
She walked down the hallways slowly, not wanting to run and wake anybody up by making too much noise. That was one of the problems with living with people with super powers, they had super hearing. She reached the ground floor safely and breathed a sigh or relief.  
  
"Going somewhere?" asked a voice from behind her.  
  
She froze for a second. Then turned around full of explanations. "I was just going for a walk" she said  
  
"Sure" replied Xander who was sitting on one of the sofas in the large common room area in the lobby "I often pack for my late night walks as well"  
  
"This was your idea" she said in defence.  
  
"Mine?"  
  
"Yeah, remember our little chat yesterday. I'm the same as you. I know I can't stay forever, I don't fit. Yeah leaving is hard but I still have to do it"  
  
"Thought as much" he replied. "And you picked the slayer free hour to run eh? I guess now is the time I should march you back to Buffy then"  
  
She hung her head. "Yeah I guess so"  
  
He nodded and stood up. He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He handed her a large bundle of notes "That's all I've got Dawnie. I never saw you, now run before somebody else does"  
  
She stopped stunned, then hugged him "Thank you" she whispered  
  
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There was always somebody patrolling the school at night. Draco had to watch out for Filch and his damn cat, random wandering teachers, and of course the Gryffindor trio who never seemed to sleep.  
  
He snuck through the hallways quietly; all his possessions were in his shrunken trunk in his pocket. Even if he was caught all he would only be caught out of bed at night, not running away. Only he wasn't running away. Draco Malfoy didn't run away from anything. He just felt like a change of scenery. He was definitely not running anywhere.  
  
He had just reached the Entrance to Hogwarts when he heard something behind him. He turned around and saw nothing for a second, and then Weasel and Potter appeared right in front of him with their mudblood girlfriend.  
  
"Going somewhere Ferret?" asked Ron  
  
"That's none of your business Weasel"  
  
"Sneaking around at this time of night is against the rules you know" said Granger  
  
"Ah yes, so why are you doing it mudblood?" replied Draco, pretending to be bored.  
  
"That would be none of your business, and for someone so anti muggle you're dressed very like one at the moment" said Potter, noticing Draco's lack of robes in favour of an all black muggle look. He then added "but at least we manage to sneak around better than you"  
  
"Of course, that's why you left the safety of your invisibility cloak to annoy me. And as much as I'm enjoying this I really have to go" he turned towards the door.  
  
"Leaving so soon? What's wrong scared of something?" taunted Ron,  
  
'What's with those three?' thought Draco 'They take turns to talk an everything'  
  
"I'm not scared of anything least of all Harry Potter and his mudblood and muggle lover followers" Said Draco turning to face them again. Potter had his wand out now. Draco still looked bored. "Was there anything else I really do have somewhere else to be?"  
  
"Why are you sneaking out of the castle in the middle of the night? And alone, where's your own followers tonight?" asked Potter. Draco was slightly surprised, wasn't it Granger's turn to speak?  
  
"Probably asleep dreaming about food and new ways to torture first years. And if you'll actually let me I'm trying to get the hell out of here"  
  
"Doesn't tell us where you're going" said Potter.  
  
'Of course', thought Draco, 'even if they did have a little take it in turns thing going Potter still has to be the centre of attention'. "I suppose it doesn't" said Draco.  
  
"You're leaving?" said Granger. It was put like a question but it wasn't.  
  
"If you'll ever let me" he replied. As usual the other two were a little behind their friend. So they didn't understand.  
  
"Why? Prince of Slytherin suddenly decides he doesn't like being royalty?"  
  
"Something like that" he replied, not about to spill his guts to a stupid mudblood. "Like I said, really must be going. You probably don't want to mention any of this until at least morning. No reason going around announcing that you broke the rules unless asked" He turned and this time finally did walk out the door.  
  
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Los Angeles airport was no a little too familiar to her. She sat waiting for the plane to arrive. She had bought a ticket to Miami with a 'borrowed' credit card. It was Buffy's and she was only going to buy this one ticket with it. It was more like a decoy. She wasn't actually going to board this plan; she bought a second ticket a few minutes later to New York, paying with cash.  
  
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Legally Draco couldn't apparate yet. He wouldn't get his licence for another year, but he had practiced in the secrecy of his house where there were wards to prevent any magic being registered.  
  
Although it was impossible to apparate out of Hogwarts, it was possible in Hogsmeade, so after walking there he did so, apparating himself straight to an airport in America. He knew that underage apparition could be monitored so this was only a stepping stone.  
  
He knew something of airports, having studied them and several other aspects of muggle life before he left. Magic could be traced but most wizards didn't understand how a huge metal bird could even fly without at least some magic. All he had to do was get the next flight from here and he would be safe.  
  
He had chosen LA airport because that happened to be the one that they had put a picture and floor plan of in the book on muggle transport and it helped if he knew where he was apparating to.  
  
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"Excuse me?" said Dawn, getting the attention of the boy about her age sitting on the plane. He looked at her not realising what she meant. "Sorry" she continued "Can I just get in?" she motioned to the seat next to him. "That's my seat"  
  
He stood up and let her in, not saying anything. 'Friendly' thought Dawn, well, at least he doesn't smell, she had endured way to many flights next to fat guys who really stank, it ruined the whole journey. When the captain announced they were about to take off Dawn noticed that the boy had a death grip on the two arm rests next to him.  
  
"Are you OK?" she asked. He turned to look at her. He was pretty good looking; he had blonde hair that was a little messy, and grey eyes. He was well built and wearing black jeans and a tight black shirt that revealed muscles under a black jacket.  
  
"I'm fine" he snapped.  
  
Dawn was about to leave it when she took a guess at what it was. "You've never flown before right?" she said. He nodded. "Don't worry it's totally fine, I fly all the time. You'll get used to it eventually"  
  
"I don't plan to get used to it" he replied. "I plan to fly once and never again. Now is this thing ever going to take off?"  
  
"It'll probably be a couple of minutes. The take off will be the worst bit after that as long as there's no turbulence" his blank face at that word caused her to add "no bumps, you should be fine till we land" He nodded, hoping that was the end of the conversation but she continued. "So you're English right? I'm guessing from the accent, sounds pretty English. More Giles than Spike" she paused for a moment at the name Spike. Funny this, guy definitely had Spike like features. It was probably just the hair that made her say that though. She carried on "So how did you get here if you didn't fly?"  
  
"It's actually my second time" he lied, realising it was near impossible to come to LA from England without flying, he could claim he came in a boat but it was just unbelievable that he got one all the way to LA.  
  
"OK" she said a little confused "So where about in England are you from? I've got a couple of friends from England, plus I was there not so long ago with my sister. We stayed in London for a couple of nights then we went up to Scotland for a few days, before France. We've been travelling a lot lately"  
  
"I live near London" he said, totally distracted by just how much this girl could say in one breath. It was annoying as hell. "And I got to school in Scotland"  
  
"Cool. It was OK I guess there, but freezing, I'm a California girl myself, used to the sun and the beach. I don't really go to school any where right now. My sister's sort of recruiting from all over the world for this new school that she sort of founded. It's a girl's school, very particular requirements"  
  
The way she said that last bit made him a bit suspicious. Was this a witching school she was talking about? Does that mean this girl was a witch?  
  
"I don't really fit in there though" she said continuing her babble "I don't really fit those requirements. I tried going but lately I've just been travelling with my sister and doing a correspondence course trying to keep up with normal school work"  
  
Topic over and he hoped she might actually shut up. Surly that was tiring, talking so much.  
  
"So what are you going to New York for?"  
  
"I'm on holiday" he said quickly  
  
"Oh, so are you meeting friends or family there?" she asked.  
  
"Err yeah; I've got friends meeting me at the airport"  
  
"Cool, I'm on my own for now. I just need to find a job and an apartment and you know a life"  
  
He looked at her. She looked too young to be finding a job and living by herself. He wondered for a moment if she was like him.  
  
"And oh my God" she continued, making him want to slam his head against the seat. "I totally forgot to introduce myself. I'm Dawn, Dawn Summers" she held her hand out.  
  
"Draco Malfoy" he replied shaking it and turning back to staring at the seat in front of him straight away.  
  
"Draco?" she was going to carry on when the captain announced their height.  
  
Draco looked out the window in surprise, he hadn't noticed them taking off. Dawn just grinned and got a bottle of water out of her bag. "Thank God, I didn't think I could go for much longer"  
  
He looked at her. "You were distracting me?"  
  
Her grin widened. "Worked, bet you didn't think about the taking off once. Your thoughts were more like, shut up, shut up; kill me now if she doesn't shut up". This actually earned her a slight smile from him. "Oh my God" she said in fake surprise. "You smiled, I didn't think it possible"  
  
"I thought the talking too much was an act" he asked, but clearly joking.  
  
"No, the talking too much without encouragement was an act. I can take a hint but now we're conversing"  
  
"Oh. There's clearly a world of difference there"  
  
She smiled. "So Draco? As in Dragon right?"  
  
"You know Latin?" he said a little surprised. She didn't seem like the smart type; then again she had managed to trick him well enough.  
  
"Some, I've got a friend who likes to collect old rare books. I used to help him translate them. I also know a little Samarian, but I'm not as good with that" She grinned at his surprised face. "Took me for a bimbo huh?"  
  
"Something like that" he said, but he smiled as he said it.  
  
"So what you doing in New York, cause that vacation with friends was bullshit"  
  
She really was smarter than she looked. "I just had to get away" he replied  
  
"Know that feeling. This is me finally getting out from under my sisters shadow. Why you running then?"  
  
"I'm not running" he said automatically. Her look said she totally didn't believe it "Father's shadow" Desperate to change the subject he then said. "You've talked about your sister a lot, what about your parents?"  
  
"My mum died a couple of years ago and my dad's God knows where doing God knows who. My sister's been my guardian since my mum died. It's cool I guess, but my sister is just so perfect sometimes, I'm sick of always been Buffy's little sister"  
  
"Sorry" he said, noticing her bitter tone throughout. Bad subject change. It suddenly hit him that he had been having a civil conversation with a muggle for at least ten minutes. Part of him wanted to say something horrible now and turn away. He thought about this, the girl was nice, she was smart, she was cunning and when she wasn't trying to distract him she held a pretty good conversation.  
  
"You OK?" she asked seeing him getting very thoughtful.  
  
"Fine" he replied a little too sharply. At the end of the day she was a muggle. What use was she to him?  
  
"O-Kay" she said turning away. "Nice talking to you to. She got a CD player out of her bag and started listening to her music and staring out of the window while Draco shut his eyes and tried to pretend he wasn't entrusting his life to some muggle pilot who could kill him at any point. After about twenty minutes he decided to try and apologise to Dawn, thinking talking seemed to distract him, only to find she was asleep.  
  
"Great" he muttered. Shutting his eyes to try and block out the aeroplane, only to fall asleep himself.  
  
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Draco and Dawn both slept through the landing. When they woke up people were starting to stand up and just waiting for the doors to be opened.  
  
"So what are going to do now?" asked Draco  
  
"Hmm?" said Dawn still a bit sleepy. The few hours' sleep she had got on the planes would be enough to get her through to day but it would take a minute or two before she was fully awake. "Oh, I guess I'll get my bag then check into a motel. My sister and I stayed in one not far from the airport when we were last here"  
  
Draco had to think for a minute, motel? Oh right it was a type of hotel, he had read somewhere usually beside the road and designed primarily for motorists. "Right Motel" they didn't have wizarding motels mainly because they didn't use roads. "I should probably go to one of those two"  
  
Dawn looked at him strangely. He made it sound like he'd forgotten what a motel was. "I could show you where this one is" she offered "It was a pretty good one, clean sheets and everything"  
  
"Thanks" he managed to say while wondering if she was just being sarcastic. Surely you always got clean sheets. Right? He sighed, this had seemed like a good idea at the time.  
  
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I am aware that the take off would have probably been a lot longer, and he probably wouldn't have been that distracted but this is my story so who cares.  
  
Now would be a good time to review! 


	4. Chapter Three: Welcome to New York

Wow, writing fanfic makes me so organised. When I write original stuff I just write it but with fanfic I have all these neat little chapter summaries and everything. I have summaries up to chapter twenty six already (and weirdly enough I've written half of twenty five already)! This is so not me; the day I become organised is the day the earth starts rotating backwards!  
  
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Chapter Three: Welcome to New York  
  
The conveyor belt at baggage reclaim had proved to be too much for Draco. The first time his trunk (that now looked more like a suitcase due to some transfiguring earlier) had come around he had just watched it in amazement, wondering how all this worked without magic. The second time, understanding a little better, he tried to grab it off unsuccessfully. The third time it came around Dawn, who already had her bag and was waiting at the side impatiently, pushed Draco out of the way and expertly swung it off her self.  
  
"Not that hard" she remarked with a smirk on her face. Draco just glared at her which made her smirk more. "The motel is like a ten minute walk from here, you OK carrying your bag or do you think we'll need a taxi?" "I'll manage" he replied, resisting the urge to cost a spell to make the bag any lighter. Under age magic could be traced and Draco intended to leaven any trail back in LA.  
  
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Do you have a credit card?" asked the man at the motel.  
  
"Yeah" said Dawn handing one over. She looked over at Draco who looked confuse again. "I'll take it you don't have one." He said to him.  
  
"No" he replied  
  
"No card, no room" said the man at the desk.  
  
"Put them both on mine" said Dawn. She turned to Draco. "You will pay me back and if you try to sneak away without paying me I will beat the crap out of you, don't think I don't know how"  
  
"OK" said Draco, a little surprised by the sudden violent threat. "Uh thanks?"  
  
"Well Miss Emerson" said the motel owner. "You're in cabins 4 and 5"  
  
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Draco had the sense to wait until they were out of the reception before asking. "Emerson? I thought you said you're second name was Summers"  
  
Dawn checked over her shoulder that they were away from the reception then replied "It is, but the card belongs to a friend"  
  
"Won't the friend mind you taking it?"!  
  
"I doubt it, she's been dead over a year" replied Dawn, not wanting to get into it. She had grieved for Anya and Spike a long time ago and although she still missed them sometimes she liked to think she was over the loss by now"  
  
"Sorry" said Draco.  
  
"It's OK; strangely enough I think Anya may have understood what I'm doing. That or she would have seen the simple solution that I missed. Having said that she never would have given me money, not when she could be buying pretty things for herself" She stopped at the door with the number five on it. "I'll take this one, you can have next door, unless this room is really gross and yours is better in which case we're swapping. Well see ya" She disappeared into her room leaving Draco to go into his.  
  
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Draco looked around his room with distaste. It was dark, dank and had a peculiar smell. The sheets on the bed were a colour that probably used to be white, but was now a more greyish colour. The blanket on top was brown, threadbare and looked itchy.  
  
He knew he should probably unpack his suitcase, but he wasn't quite sure how. In the past all he had to do was drop his clothes on the floor and a house elf would come and do the rest. With a look in the drawers he decided unpacking probably wasn't the best plan. They were all dusty and damp and one had something in it, something mouldy and scary.  
  
After lying on his bed for a while and wondering what the hell that big box with the buttons actually did Draco was interrupted in his thoughts by a knock on the door.  
  
"Hey" said Dawn when he answered. "So I was thinking we're in this whole new city and don't really know anybody else so you wanna go get something to eat?"  
  
"OK" he replied. He picked up his jacket and they started walking towards a diner that Dawn said wasn't far away.  
  
"SO I'm glad you agreed to come with me" said Dawn as they started walking "'cause I can look after myself and everything but young girl alone in a big city is still a total target and I've always been taught that I was too weak to actually look like a target. I can defend myself when I get into the situation and oh my god I'm babbling"  
  
"I noticed"  
  
"Well I need to with you; you're not exactly Mr talkative are you?"  
  
"I talk when I have something to say, I just don't have the mudblood obsession with always talking"  
  
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Ok I know you just insulted me but what the hell is a mudblood"  
  
'Shit', he said in his head. "It doesn't matter" he said, knowing she wouldn't accept that but giving himself a few more seconds to cover his tracks.  
  
"It damn well does matter. If you said it then it must have been important because you only speak when you have something to say"  
  
"Its British slang, it's a swear it basically means anybody not British, but generally specifically Americans. I'm sorry, I'm just irritable 'cause I'm kinda tired" He was apologising to a muggle? What the hell was wrong with him?  
  
She calmed down a bit with his apology and carried on walking, Draco in step beside her "British slang eh? Never hear Spike use that one, and he pretty much used every swear that existed. Insulted Americans a whole lot to, maybe it was too modern for him"  
  
"Who's Spike?" he asked, seeing an opportunity for a topic change.  
  
"Old friend, he died at the same time as Anya" she replied quietly  
  
"I seem to have a habit of bringing up these old friends. See why I don't talk much?" She laughed and he inwardly cringed; now he was making jokes, jokes that made fun of himself rather than other people. What the hell was happening to him? He decided quickly that this had something to do with Dawn being the only person he knew in this city, well actually country. He wanted to stay in her good books.  
  
Dawn wondered why she was even bothering with this guy. He went from being nice one minute to being a total bastard, then back to nice again. It was starting to annoy her but the idea of being totally alone scared her a little and she chose to put up with this guy instead.  
  
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"So we've made small talk for ten minutes how about we try talking properly now?" suggested Dawn. AS they sat in the diner waiting for their food  
  
"Huh?" said Draco.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I'm hungry?"  
  
"No, I mean in New York, why aren't you back in England drinking tea or something?"  
  
"You really like the stereotype huh?" he replied  
  
"Well Giles is British and he's always drinking tea. He's not so heavy on the tweed anymore but he hasn't lost his tea drinking habits. Spike was from England too, but he never drank tea, he never really drank much except for" she stopped herself, realising what she was about to say. "Water" she finished "He had this weird craze where he only drank water. Spike was very weird. But back to the subject you were telling me why you left England"  
  
"No I wasn't you were asking" he replied smirking  
  
"Same thing, so are you going to enlighten me?"  
  
'What the hell', he thought. "I was at school; I go to a boarding school. Part of me was glad to be there because I got away from my father. He's really strict and expects me to just follow in his footsteps and be a" shit, um "lawyer like him. Even though he's an evil son of bitch who prefers to support mass murderers with power than the good guys. In some ways I agree with him, but I'd still like to make my own mind up, I'm not a follower. Well I suppose I am but I don't want to be. Basically back at school I realised I couldn't change there, if I stayed I'd have to follow the track I had set out that pretty much turned me into my father. So I ran" he quickly added "What about you?" so they didn't have to linger on the topic of him for too long, he had pretty much told the truth but he didn't want to go into details that he couldn't.  
  
"Getting away from my sister. I love her but I'm just tired of being nothing but her sister. Lately she's been really busy recruiting for this new school, and I've been travelling around with her. To everybody we meet I'm just Buffy's sister. Back at the school I really don't fit in. There's nowhere for me to live and go to an ordinary school. I was planning to train to become a teacher at this school, just so I could feel like I fit in, but I don't know if that's what I really want to do. I decided to just leave, to get away and find somewhere where I can be me, where I can work out who me is"  
  
"Kinda sounds similar" replied Draco, then asked what he had to "What kind of a name is Buffy?"  
  
Dawn laughed, "I should probably give her answer here" she put her hands on her hips and gave him a fake glare "My mother gave her that name" she giggled, "Yeah I was the lucky one with the names, but you can't really talk Draco"  
  
He smiled, then realising what he was doing he stopped. Why did he keep smiling and laughing around this girl. That in itself was weird enough, but then there was the fact that he would laugh at jokes making fun of himself. Draco Malfoy did not laugh at himself. Damn, one day in a muggle world and he was already changing.  
  
"So what are your plans for the future?" she asked before taking a bite form the food that had just arrived.  
  
"I don't really know. I guess the essentials, I need to get a job and find a proper place to live. I have no idea how to do either of those things. Who am I kidding I don't know how to unpack a suitcase myself"  
  
"Well if you looked in the drawers at the motel that's probably for the best" she looked at Draco then smirked "You're a Cordelia"  
  
"A what?"  
  
"Cordelia. Spoilt little rich kid suddenly all alone in the world. That's why you don't know how to anything yourself right? You've never had to before"  
  
"That sums it up quite accurately actually. Even at school they had servants who did most of the work"  
  
"Wow, sounds like a cool school. All Sunnydale High ever had was one janitor. I suppose nobody really wants to work at a school where two principals in a row were eaten"  
  
Draco choked on the mouthful of food he had been eaten. After some coughing and a drink of his coke he managed to say "eaten?"  
  
She laughed, "Yeah the first principal Flutie was found torn apart or something. They were never sure what type of animal did it, but the new school mascot, a pig suffered the same treatment. The next one was eaten by a wild animal that escaped during my sister's graduation. Actually I think they said it was an organised gang thing because there was a whole load of disruption then the school was blown up"  
  
"It wasn't really a normal school was it?"  
  
"The whole town wasn't normal, a few years later a quake triggered a sink hole thing or something which basically meant the town previously known as Sunnydale was now just a big hole in the ground. We barely got out of there alive, some of us didn't"  
  
"Did I just so it again?" he asked "You know bring up more old friends?"  
  
"Actually same two" she said. "but you do seem to have a talent for that, and I'm sure there was a point to this conversation"  
  
"Future plans" he prompted  
  
"Oh yeah"  
  
"So what do you plan to do?"  
  
"Uh, find a place to live, get a job, live happily ever after? Although I'm not sure about the happily ever after bit, maybe I should just settle for a job and an apartment for now"  
  
"We should say in touch, after we go our separate ways" suggested Draco, any friend, even a muggle had to be better than nothing.  
  
"Or we could not" she replied, an idea forming in her head.  
  
"Oh" he said a little surprised.  
  
She smiled, "I didn't mean not stay in touch, I mean go separate ways. We're both looking for the same thing right? So rather than go off and have two sets of bills to pay and all that we could stick together, it'd be more economical. Plus I'm so used to having a house full of people I get lonely easily and I have the feeling you'd be hopeless on your own" Why had she just said that, she didn't know this guy, he could be anybody, he could be a murderer, or a demon, hell he could just be a guy she'd just met and that should be enough reason not to want to live with but for some reason she wanted to trust him. She felt he could be trusted.  
  
Live with a muggle? The idea seemed preposterous. But she was right, it would be more economical, and he would be hopeless alone. Plus, he thought with slight smirk, his father would object to the idea with all his heart if he ever found out. "OK" he said. "We stick together"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: I don't know why but I don't really like this chapter, I can't work out why though and I've spent the whole day trying to change it having written while lazing in the Egyptian sun last week (and England is so cold in comparison) so I'm posting it.  
  
As always, please review 


	5. Chapter Four: Back Home

Buffy seems a bit out of character here, blame it on the fact that she's upset about Dawn. Last time she lost her she went catatonic so she is known to be unbuffyish about Dawn.  
  
And Alyssa, we have both Ron and Buffy in this chapter!  
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Chapter Four: Back Home  
  
"What I don't understand is how you just allowed him to walk out." shouted Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore sat at his desk patiently, ignoring the manner of the man opposite him.  
  
"Is there any chance he didn't leave?" asked Narcissa Malfoy, she was calmer than her husband but seemed very worried. "I mean I just know why he would run away, it's not him at all, he loved school. He's been looking forward to coming back all holiday. He might have been taken or something, I can't think of any reason why but I can't get my head around the idea that my son ran away.  
  
"Three students saw him leave." interrupted professor Snape who was also present in the meeting. "Several other students also commented that he has been acting differently since the beginning of term."  
  
"Which three students?" demanded Lucius.  
  
"Potter, Weasley and Granger." said Snape, no hesitation about revealing it.  
  
"And you believe the word of the three students in the whole school who hate my son the most? And you said he went missing in the middle of the night, what were three students even doing up in the middle of the night?"  
  
"Mr Malfoy despite what you may want to believe your son left of his own accord. Nobody entered the school that much we know for sure. The ministry also reported underage apparition in Hogsmeade, your son ran away." Dumbledore told him.  
  
---------------  
  
"How could she have just left?" asked Buffy as she sat on a sofa, surrounded by her friends who were trying to comfort her. "Why would she just leave?"  
  
A few people exchanged glances; they had all noticed Dawn's discomfort. Faith was the first to say it out loud, "Err B, Dawn's seemed, restless, for a while now you did notice that much right?"  
  
Buffy looked up in astonishment. Xander carried on, afraid of Faiths phrasing at times. "She didn't feel like she fitted in anywhere. We talked just the other day, she was telling me I needed to get out of here, I've pretty much been feeling the same way. At the time I never thought she was thinking of running away though."  
  
"How can she though?" asked Buffy crying, "I mean, she can't look after herself properly, she can't protect herself from everything out there."  
  
"Buffy" said Xander taking his friends hand "She left to prove she can. You've protected her for so long and now it's her turn, she has to do it herself. She'll be alright."  
  
"You don't know that. Nobody knows that, now my sister is out there all alone and we have to find her"  
  
"What if she doesn't want to be found?" asked Xander  
  
"Of course she wants to be found" said Buffy "This must be an attention thing, she can't have gone far. I'll find her, shout at her; we'll hug and have ice cream, it'll all be better. Willow can you do a spell?"  
  
Willow looked uncomfortable "Not really."  
  
"What do you mean not really?" asked Buffy  
  
"Well, you know I've been doing all the locator spells to find Slayers blood using a sample of yours, so in order to prevent you and Dawn who was made from you and shares your blood showing up and blocking everybody else I had to cast separate spells on you two which pretty much means I can't trace you"  
  
"Ok" said Buffy, getting hysterical. "My sister is lost and I can't find her. What the hell do I do? I don't know what to do"  
  
"Okay, remember when you ran away for that summer, you came back when you were ready, I'm sure Dawn will come back when she's ready"  
  
"When I was ready? I came back after I'd been to hell. I visited hell and had to kill a whole load of demons just to survive. I was a slayer, Dawn isn't, and she can't do it"  
  
"That's why she left" said Xander, raising his voice in anger. "You treat her like she's totally defenseless. There are millions of people out there who aren't slayers who are still alive. Dawn has the added bonus that she knows what goes bump in the night. She knows basic defense, she knows how to avoid the dangerous situations and she knows how to get out of them when she's in them. You have to trust that she'll contact you when she feels she can"  
  
"But she's my sister, I'm meant to look after her, I'm meant to protect" said Buffy, calmer now but with tears in her eyes.  
  
Xander put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. "She has to learn to do it for herself now, you knew she would eventually. You taught her how to fight, she'll be OK"  
  
"It's not just fighting, it's her whole life, her, I'm meant to look after her, and I failed, I failed so badly she had to run"  
  
"She loves you Buffy, she didn't leave because of you. She'll be alright, I promise" Buffy didn't reply this time, she just cried in her friend's arms. The others left the two of them alone.  
  
---------------  
  
"So did you hear the news?" asked a third year Gryffindor, "Malfoy was abducted last night, Dumbledore had to break it to his parents this morning"  
  
"That's not right" said another third year name Ollie "I heard he was recruited by you know who to be in his secret army, and he's going to come back recruiting more people soon"  
  
"Why would you know who want a sixteen year old in his secret army when there's dozens of older better wizards out there" asked a girl sitting near them skeptically.  
  
"Well they're training them up" replied Ollie "He's getting them young then they spend years training them into fierce killers then set them loose"  
  
The golden trio listened from further up the table. "Talk of the day then" said Ron.  
  
"Well a student disappearing in the middle of the night is pretty big news" replied Hermione.  
  
"But he didn't disappear, he just walked out" replied Harry quietly.  
  
"Yes, but they don't know that therefore a student disappeared in the middle of the night and its big news" said Hermione.  
  
"So why do you think he did it?" asked Ron, "Ferret never really struck me as the type to run away. Unless he really has gone off to join Voldemort"  
  
"No, I don't think he did" said Harry thoughtfully. "I saw Lucius earlier and he really didn't look like he knew anything about it, in fact he accused me because I was the last one who saw him. If Draco ran to Voldemort then it would have been approved if not encouraged by Lucius"  
  
"Really is a mystery then" said Ron  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Just a short chapter, didn't really have much to write. Later chapter should get quite a bit longer though. 


	6. Chapter Five: Settling

Thanks so much for all your reviews so far. Sorry about grammar and stuff, I do try and check it but I never seem to see any mistake. Either that or when I'm checking I start changing everything and get distracted with what I'm going to do next. Just be glad I have spell and grammar check to get the worst of it, then it's be really bad, I'll keep trying to check though.  
  
Please keep reviewing.  
  
Oh and if I haven't mentioned it before or you hadn't worked it out by Dawn mourning for Spike, he's dead, not undead in LA with Angel.  
  
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Chapter Five: Settling...  
  
They had been in the city for just over two weeks now. Dawn had a job waitressing in a coffee shop; she had got it quite easily and was doing well. Draco was still jobless, he wasn't entirely sure how to do any of the jobs that were suggested, they were all too, muggle for him.  
  
The two of them were going to look at another apartment today. So far they had been unsuccessful and it was starting to get Dawn down.  
  
"All I'm asking for is an apartment that doesn't totally resemble a shoebox, one that doesn't leak and doesn't have a welcoming party of cockroaches waiting in every room" Complained Dawn; she shuddered remembering the previous apartments they had visited. "Is that too much to ask?"  
  
"It would appear so" said Draco, he looked at the building in front of them that they had just arrived at. "Outside doesn't look bad" he stated.  
  
"But it's the inside that counts"  
  
---------------  
  
"Wow" said Dawn as they walked around the apartment. "This place isn't too bad. I mean it could use a little fixing up but..."  
  
"No cockroaches, not damp, not too small, so far can't hear any neighbours playing loud music at full blast and not that expensive" continues Draco, listing the severe problems they had found with other places they had looked at.  
  
Dawn squealed with delight realising they had found their place and ran over to hug Draco. Draco was a little surprised, over the last two weeks they had been forming a friendship by spending time together everyday, often just talking. They would talk about everything from their childhoods, neither realising just how much he other was leaving out, to all the annoying things that had happened during that day, they had found themselves at ease talking with one another, but so far there had been no hugs. Draco was not a touchy feely person, unless you counted Pansy who was just a general pain in the neck, he never ad any female friends who hugged him and he never got any hugs at home. This left him with nothing to do but awkwardly put his arms around Dawn.  
  
"It's perfect" she said  
  
"Apart from the needing a little fixing up of course" he said with a smirk.  
  
"Of course" she replied, moving away from him to look around again.  
  
They had found a comfortable way of teasing each other and sometimes themselves that Draco had never had before. In the past he would make fun of other people in a hurtful way but he would never mock himself. He still didn't know Dawn that well but he felt like he could be on the way to getting his first real friendship here. Although neither had mentioned it Dawn felt the same way, she had had friends at school but she had never got really close to anybody in Sunnydale and Buffy's friends had always been just that, Buffy's friends. With Draco there just seemed to be an easiness that she's never had before.  
  
"I guess we're taking it then" said Draco  
  
"Damn right we are!" laughed Dawn.  
  
---------------  
  
"Kinda depressing that we're packed and ready to move already" said Dawn; looking at the one bag they had each. Today was the day they were moving into their new apartment, having first seen it just a few days ago.  
  
Dawn went to settle both of their bills at the Motel. She paid what she could in cash, deciding that credit card fraud wasn't the best way to start out her new life, she would keep Anya's card for when she just needed it like she had here and for emergencies, but in general, cash is better.  
  
Draco waited outside. He shifted uncomfortable thinking she was paying for him. In the past he had always been able to afford anything and everything he wanted, but his supply of muggle money had been short to start off with, Dawn had already had quite a bit of money with her and now she was the one with the job. They had worked it out that he would start paying his way as soon as he could. Draco found that in itself strange, he had never had someone be so nice to him without expecting anything in return. Dawn's wages weren't really enough for two people to live comfortably one, but they would be enough for them to live very economically on for now.  
  
Draco laughed to himself at the irony, he Draco Malfoy, son of the right hand man of Voldemort himself Lucius Malfoy, was not just living as a muggle, not ever just as a muggle with some muggle girl he'd known a fortnight. Better than that, he was living as a poor muggle relying on some muggle girls he'd known a fortnight to support him.  
  
"What are you laughing at?" asked Dawn, suddenly appearing behind him.  
  
"Just thinking this is not where I expected to end up in life"  
  
Dawn smiled. "Me either, but you make it sound like this is how it gonna be for the rest of your life. Things change you know"  
  
---------------  
  
Dawn and Draco sat side by side on the sofa in their new apartment. It was still quite cold as they'd spent the day with all the windows open trying to air the place out and get rid of that musty smell. They'd spent the whole day cleaning to try and make the place look nicer, because although it was their 'perfect' apartment as Dawn it wasn't all that clean to start with.  
  
Dawn had learnt early on that setting Draco a separate Task to do was counter productive as she had to spend ages trying to teach him how to do everything, she had been shocked to find that the boy couldn't even dust. Dawn had never been a fan of cleaning but she knew how to do it effectively. Eventually they had to do everything together with him copying her actions and often getting in the way.  
  
In the morning, not long after they'd arrive Dawn had met the girl who lived in the apartment opposite theirs. She seemed nice, she was a bit older than Dawn and Draco and her name was Callie. Dawn had promised to invite her over as soon as they had settled in a bit.  
  
"We need a TV" said Dawn staring into space. The place had come furnished but a TV was sadly not included.  
  
"Definitely" replied Draco who had grown a liking of muggle television while spending all day in a motel room.  
  
"Guess we'll have to do something else for fun then" said Dawn absently.  
  
"Any ideas?" asked Draco.  
  
She thought for a while. "We could play cards" she suggested.  
  
"OK. Got any cards?"  
  
"No" she said, seeing a slight fault in her plan. "You?"  
  
"No" he tried to think of something else to do. "Chess?" he suggested.  
  
"Got a chess set?" she asked.  
  
He realised he hadn't taken his prized chess set with him, and even if he had it was wizard chess so it might not have be the best idea anyway. "No" he admitted  
  
"Me either" she said, and then repeated "We need a TV."  
  
"I'm going to miss Passions" he said, thinking of the soap he had become addicted to lately.  
  
Dawn looked at him then burst out laughing.  
  
"What?" he said, trying to defend himself "I like it!"  
  
"It's not that" said Dawn, still giggling. "It's just you remind me so much of Spike."  
  
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
"I'd say definitely good. God the similarities are scary sometimes. You kinda look like him, mainly 'cause of the hair but his was dyed though. You're English like he was. You're addicted to Passions, which never seemed right on Spike either, I saw him sit down and have these long conversations with my mom about Passions. Oh yeah and he liked to pretend he was a badass when really he was just a big softie as well"  
  
"Hey!" He was surprised at this, had he really given her the impression that he was a softie. The Slytherin Prince and terror of first years was being called a softie by a muggle.  
  
Dawn laughed again "I can imagine he would be saying that right mow too. If you ever call me bit, niblet or little bit then I'm going to seriously freak out"  
  
"Niblet?" smirked Draco "I think I quite like that"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: Hmm, lots of Draco thoughts in there. The idea is that he'll stop thinking of Dawn as 'a muggle' all the time. That whole thinking of himself in third person habit may be harder to quit, I dunno why I kept doing that.  
  
This chapter was hard for me to write, I kinda wanted my chapters to be longer than this, the next couple may be short but hopefully they'll get longer after that. This one seems summarised in places but like I said I was stuck.  
  
Next Chapter: Draco gets his first job!!!! Meanwhile Dawn gets to know their new neighbour better.  
  
I should also give you a few warnings, I dunno if this will end in Dawn/ Draco romance or if it'll just be friendship. Also they probably won't stay in NY for long. They will find out each other's secrets eventually but not for a few chapters.  
  
Wow, that's a lot of notes; anyone would think I'm trying to give the impression that this chapter is longer than it really is! 


	7. Chapter Six:and unsettling

I've never spent so long writing a chapter before! This was really really hard to do. I started it straight after the last chapter but I fell asleep and when I came back I was stuck I couldn't think of anything. (So if it's crap it's 'cause it's kinda forced) Oh and even though I've been stuck on this, I've started three new fics. I probably won't post any of them until I can be sure I can actually go somewhere with them. I'm also trying to focus on this for now (and my GCSEs which are less than a fortnight away! Shit I should start revising)

------------------------------------------------

Chapter Six ...and Unsettling  
  
(An, although I can't put the dots in the chapter title in the drop down bar thingy they are meant to be there)  
  
Draco's main problem with finding a job had been his complete lack of experience in the modern world, he tended to cover this up with the story Dawn had handed to him in the beginning about being a spoilt brat who never had to do anything for himself, which was half true anyway. Yes he had read all the muggle studies books in preparation but he had never actually taken the class (a Malfoy taking muggle studies? I don't think so), and it was still quite different to actually living and working as a muggle. Not that he knew about the working part yet.  
  
After a month in the muggle world, the truth was, Draco still didn't know all that much, but he knew more than when he started. Living with Dawn had been a great help, he watched her do all the basic everyday things that muggles do and learnt by watching. Dawn had also taught him things, mainly the things that she was sick of doing herself. He now knew how to clean the muggle way, something he would never admit to if he ever went back home. Dawn had taught him how to use the oven and the basics of cooking, it turned out that Dawn was a pretty bad cook though, especially when she tried to invent her own dishes. They had resorted to buying some second hand cook books and Draco, as the one with time on his hands, was the one who seemed to be trying them all out. He had turned out to be quite a good cook, he never told Dawn but it was because he found the correct measuring and adding of the ingredients to be much like potions, which he was always good at. Of course in cooking the ingredients were much less disgusting and if you did go wrong it didn't blow up, unless you used the microwave wrong. Unfortunately he was still new to the actual cooking part, so sometimes the food would be a little under or overcooked, but as Dawn pointed out, he hadn't made either of them puke yet so that was a plus.  
  
The way it worked out however, Draco's first job, although working with food, didn't exactly require any of his newly acquired skills. Draco was the newest employee of their nearest Double Meat Palace. Despite the fact that for the two days he had been there he had absolutely hated it, he felts a strange sense of pride in actually having a job. He had always looked down on people with less money who had to work for what they had, but there definitely a sense of satisfaction in paying your own way. Maybe it was just because he was feeling less guilty towards Dawn now,  
  
(AN: Can you all see Draco in a hat with a cow on it? OK, this is getting all Draco; looking back it's been pretty much all Draco since they met. I better get some Dawn in there quick!) ---------------  
  
Dawn had first met their neighbour Callie on the first day they arrive at their new apartment. The girl had literally walked into her.  
  
"Sorry" she said, "I didn't see you over all these bags"  
  
Dawn smiled; she could hardly see her face over all the brown paper bags she was balancing. "That's OK. Do you wanna hand with those?"  
  
"Actually I've only just got my balance. I think if you were to take one they might all fall down. Although you could open the door for me, the key's just in my jacket pocket"  
  
Dawn obligingly got the key and opened the door. The girl dumped the bags on the floor inside the door and then came out again. "Thanks, I'm Callie by the way"  
  
"I'm Dawn. I just moved across the hall with my flatmate"  
  
The had talked for a couple more minutes before Dawn decided that leaving Draco alone for so long with cleaning products could be potentially fatal, to him and they new apartment. She had promised they would talk again soon before she left her potential new friend.  
  
---------------  
  
Today, about two weeks later she had got the chance to meet up with Callie. They had gone to a small coffee shop just around the corner of their apartment block.  
  
"So how long have you been in the building?" asked Dawn, trying to make conversation.  
  
"A few months now. It's not a bad place to live; I've been in a lot worse. So what's your story anyway, you don't seem like you've been away from home all that long"  
  
"Am I that obvious" she said with a smile. "Where I was living before was never really home. I just had to get away for a bit"  
  
"Ran away then?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
They continued talking for nearly an hour. Dawn realised how much she had missed female company when the only person she really spoke to was Draco. She had been surrounded by girls all the time before she arrived here. Draco was quickly becoming a very good friend, but it was different talking to a girl for a change. She wondered if Draco missed male company in the same way, or of it would be different for him as an only child coming form a mixed school.  
  
They eventually had to go home, but promised to do this again soon.  
  
---------------  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Draco emerging from him room, wearing only jogging trousers and a sleepy expression.  
  
"Getting ready to go out" said Dawn brightly as she continued stretching.  
  
"It's half past seven on a bloody Saturday morning, do you have to get ready so loudly?" he watched her stretch, "Where are you going?"  
  
"For a run, I'm getting out of shape; I used to do way more exercise than this"  
  
"You're crazy, didn't your hear me, It's early Saturday morning, the normal thing to do is sleep"  
  
"Staying in bed is for Sunday" she replied. She looked him up and down. "You know you look like you used to be no stranger to a work out either. Yet I haven't seen you do any exercise, why don't you come with me?"  
  
"I don't think so" he said a little too quickly.  
  
She shrugged "Suit yourself. You'd probably just slow me down anyway" she continued stretching, purposely ignoring him.  
  
"I'm not falling for that" he said, but he was actually thinking about the amount of Quidditch practice he used to do. It may look pretty easy to fly around on a broom but it kept you pretty fit. Of course several laps of the bath every morning hadn't hurt either.  
  
"I'm not asking you to" said Dawn smiling sweetly. "You go back to your nice wimpy, I mean comfy bed, and feel all that muscle turn into flab while I go out. Then I'll go on all week about how fat you're getting, and we can have this conversation all over again next Saturday"  
  
Draco groaned. "Give me five minutes" he disappeared into his room and came back a few minutes later dressed and ready to go.  
  
---------------  
  
Dawn had been right, lack of exercise for a few weeks meant her body was now protesting as the muscles that were getting used to he break were being used once more. Draco felt the same way, wondering why it had never occurred to him before that he was getting so unfit. He always took so much pride in his appearance, and that included keeping fit. He realised just how little time he had been spending on his appearance lately. When he was the Slytherin Prince he had to make sure there wasn't a hair out of place before he left his dorm in the morning. HE was always perfectly groomed, it was his father's influence, he had told him that there was always someone watching, waiting to comment on your down points. At Hogwarts he could never be seen like he was now, wearing loose jogging bottoms, similar to those he had he had slept in and an old baggy T-shirt. His once perfectly slicked back hair was a mess, going wherever it wanted, as it had been a lot lately. And somehow he preferred himself this way.  
  
(An: and we're back to Draco, damn, let me try some more Dawn again. This chapter is meant to be dawn centric according to my summary)  
  
---------------  
  
"I saw you coming back from your run on Saturday" said Callie as she and Dawn met up again. "Do you do that a lot?"  
  
"I'm planning to make it a regular habit, whether I can drag Draco out of bed to keep me company is a different story"  
  
"You know it's weird" said Callie, "I used to be a total exercise phobic, but about a year or so ago I got this whole new burst of energy. I can be mentally exhausted but I have to run a mile before I sleep"  
  
Dawn looked up alarmed. "You've had loads of extra energy?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, it comes in handy sometimes but not I have to get up at one and go for a jog just so I can sleep"  
  
"And you feel restless a lot?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"And this started about a year ago?"  
  
"Something like that, why?"  
  
"I just, it's um, have you heard from anyone about this? Has anybody tried to contact you?" asked Dawn nervously.  
  
"No. Why would somebody care that I have a bit too much energy?" asked Callie.  
  
Dawn forced herself to laugh. "Don't worry about me. I'm just being paranoid; I don't know what it's about. Maybe you changed your diet or something"  
  
Callie wanted to question Dawn further but doubted she would get anywhere with it so she just said "Maybe".  
  
---------------  
  
"Hi" said Callie, as the door opened. "You must be Draco, I'm Callie, I live well there" she pointed at the door behind her. "Is Dawn in?"  
  
"Yeah" said Draco. He moved out of the doorway. "Come in" he said.  
  
"Callie, hey" said Dawn catching sight of her. She saw her serious face. "Are you Ok?"  
  
"I was just wondering, if um" she glanced at Draco who announced he had to go do something in his room. "I was wondering about what you were saying yesterday, about somebody contacting me, you weren't being paranoid were you?"  
  
"Somebody contacted you?" asked Dawn  
  
"Yeah, a school, it was weird. This woman called and at first she said she wanted to offer me a scholarship. I know I could still be at school for another few months, but I haven't been in a couple of years, so a scholarship just sounded wrong. I asked her why me and she started asking me questions like you had, about me being energetic and restless, and strength, basically they're sending somebody out here to talk to me, she should be here in a couple of days"  
  
"Somebody will be here in a couple of days? Coming to you? In your apartment? Opposite where I live?" said Dawn panicking.  
  
"You know about this place, can you give me some advice here?" asked Callie,  
  
"My sister's one of the founders" said Dawn honestly. "She'll probably be the one that comes; she'll explain it all better than me. I assume you came for my advice so I'm going to say go. It's a good place"  
  
"So good you ran from it?" asked Callie sceptically.  
  
"It won't be like that for you, you'll fit in there. I didn't. I never settled there, but you can. Trust me"  
  
They continued talking for sometime, Dawn tried to describe the school without explaining about the slayer thing yet. It was better that whoever came did that, she would only confuse matters. She told Callie repeatedly to go and Callie tried to get her to explain why she left but she refused. When Callie eventually left she seemed to have been won over, she was at least going to listen to what the schools rep had to say with an open mind.  
  
Dawn sighed then turned to her bedroom; she pulled out her suitcase and started throwing all her stuff into it. "What are you doing?" asked Draco from the doorway.  
  
"Leaving" she replied. "And quickly. I have to go, I have to leave here, leave New York"  
  
"Why?" He asked confused and wondering just what she and Callie had spoken about.  
  
"Because my sister is coming here, well to Callie. Actually it might not be Buffy but it'll be someone I know, probably Buffy, she does most of that stuff. Sometimes Faith will go but she normally finds it too boring, but they'll come and they'll know I'm here and try and take me back, only they won't try, they will take me back and I'll be in the same situation all over again"  
  
She was still packing and her voice was getting higher and faster. Draco came over, grabbed hold of her and pushed her onto the bed "Sit and breathe" he said standing over her. "Why would anybody come?" he said.  
  
"They're coming for Callie; she's being offered a place at the school. She fits their criteria"  
  
"Ok, how will they know you're here?"  
  
"For one thing she lives opposite, you know like two metres away. I could just walk into them at any time. I only have to open the door and they'll know I'm there. I can't hide out in the apartment because I don't know exactly when they're coming or how long they'll stay and I can't miss work. Plus Buffy will just, I dunno, she'll know"  
  
"She'll sense you're in the next apartment?" asked Draco, trying to get her to talk calmly and sanely.  
  
"Yes. I can't explain it but she will. I know she will. I can't be here; I can't be here when I know she's coming. I have to leave"  
  
Draco digested all of this. "OK, where are we going?"  
  
Dawn did a double take, "We?"  
  
"Yeah, we, let's face it, I can't exactly pay the rent on my own. Plus I'm pretty crap at doing anything for myself so it's we"  
  
She smiled a little. Then went serious again. "No, I can't let you come. You're settling here, you've just got a job an everything. Don't leave just 'cause of me"  
  
"Dawn. You're my friend, and that's a pretty new concept to me. In the past I've had sidekicks and followers, not friends. Coming to New York was a random choice, staying in New York, staying here; knowing what the hell I'm meant to be doing was because of you. The only thing keeping me here is you, so if you go, I go. We clear?"  
  
She smiled, properly this time, "We're clear"  
  
"Oh and you need me because you're cooking is bloody awful" he added. She laughed and he smiled, this had been his intent. "I'd better go pack" he said.  
  
-----------------------  
  
It took less than an hour for Dawn and Draco to completely pack everything from their apartment. Dawn went and said goodbye to Callie, who blamed herself for them leaving. It took a few minutes of reassurance before Dawn could actually get away again.  
  
"So" began Draco. "Where to now?"  
  
"Um..."

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There, another chapter down. Once again, sorry it took so long. Thanks for all my reviews so far. Keep reviewing.  
  
So next chapter they have to start over new again. They may move again for a different reason next time. In case you were wondering, where they go is pretty much random. I'm English and have never been to America (so I should really stop basing all my fics there) so I'm picking random cities that I've actually heard of from the big Atlas on the wall next the computer. 


	8. Chapter Seven: Another New City

If people want Boston, then Boston it is. It won't be Boston for long though, I think they should be moving again in Chapter Nine unless I decided to change the whole plot I'm trying to form here. I'm thinking somewhere warm, but they'll only be staying there for a little while, because after that it's back to the UK  
  
All italics are flashbacks, because I didn't want the bits with Buffy to be all narrated by Callie.  
NB, I made one little mistake, I had a whole load of drafts for the name of the school amd I eventually decided on Anya Williams, (no prizes to work out who it's dedicated to) but I couldn't find my notes when writing this so I kinda forgot and posted it with a different name originally.  
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Chapter Seven: Another New City  
  
Dawn and Draco were living in a small apartment in Boston. There was only one bedroom, so Dawn forced Draco to take that while she took the sofa bed. She claimed it was because it was her fault they had to leave so suddenly and hadn't had time to find a decent place yet, in actual fact it was because she had tried them both out and found the sofa bed was the more comfortable of the two.  
  
Having been there a week this time it was Dawn who was still job searching and Draco who had found one. While Dawn got to be the helpless one, Draco was enjoying being the sole earner. To him, it was just him paying Dawn back for when they first arrived in New York.  
  
Dawn had known that Buffy would be visiting Callie within a couple of days of her leaving. She would probably only be there for a few hours, perhaps coming back a second day after letting Callie think about it all. So Dawn waited a week before she finally phoned Callie.  
  
"Dawn" she said, obviously pleased to hear from her. "Hey, are you OK?"  
  
"I'm fine" she replied, she was in Draco's bedroom as that was where the only phone was. He was outside so she could speak freely, provided the walls weren't too thing. "We're settling quickly in a new city"  
  
"Which would be...?" prompted Callie.  
  
"We'll come to that one later. So the people from the Academy came?"  
  
"Yeah, you're sister and her friend Willow. By the way, I didn't want to ask her because I thought it was kinda rude, but is Buffy short for something or is it actually her name?"  
  
"That's actually her name" laughed Dawn, thanking her mother again for giving her the more normal name, "And well done for not bringing it up with her, she gets cranky when you do that"  
  
"I find it hard to believe she gets crankier than she was" said Callie reflecting on her meeting with the elder Summers sister.  
  
"What happened?" asked Dawn, this had been the point of her call.  
  
"Well...  
  
["Uh, Buffy, that's not the right apartment. It's this on" Said Willow standing in front of Callie's door as Buffy looked at the door opposite as though it was something much more interesting than an painted piece of wood with a number on it.  
  
"Dawn's here" said Buffy. She knocked on the door as Willow knocked on Callie's door.  
  
Callie opened the door. "Hi, you must be from the school" she said, she noticed Buffy's attention on what used to be Dawn and Draco's apartment. "It's empty" she told her.  
  
"For how long?"  
  
"Two days? I think you knew the girl who lived there, Dawn?"  
  
"My sister" said Buffy quietly, then kicked the door down.  
  
Willow and Callie followed her in as she searched through the apartment as though she expected Dawn to be hiding in a closet or something.  
  
"She's gone" repeated Callie, "It was my fault, I told her you were coming because I wanted her advice, she told me to go then she and her room mate just cleared out and left. She wouldn't tell me where she was going or anything"  
  
"Room mate?" questioned Buffy  
  
"Yeah, some guy named Draco"  
  
"She's living with a guy? How old is he?"  
  
"Um, her age, I think, he didn't seem much older. I only met him once, I don't think there was anything going on though, they had separate bedrooms and everything"  
  
"Then why did he leave with her?" demanded Buffy  
  
"Maybe Dawn realised that if he stayed behind and you found him you might kill him for going anywhere near your sister" suggested Willow.  
  
"I would not" whined Buffy "Why do you guys all think that I hit first and ask questions later?"  
  
"Because you kinda do" replied Willow gently.  
  
Buffy was about to reply when Callie cleared her throat to remind them she was there before they got into a full blown argument. She was also wanted to hear exactly why they were there.  
  
"We can deal with Dawn later" said Willow, "We came here to talk to Callie, so lets go into her apartment and talk"]  
  
"So then she explained all the slayer stuff which I assume you know" said Callie.  
  
"Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you when we were talking the other night, it's just I thought there would have been too many questions which Buffy and Willow would be way better at answering"  
  
"Or maybe you just didn't have time to answer because you were running away again" said Callie, but in a joking manner "Oh and by the way, if you ever do run into your sister you might want to hide Draco because even after Willow tried to distract her she was muttering something about evisceration, Faith and five torture groups?"  
  
"I'll keep that in mind. So what happened next?"  
  
"Willow got out a load of candles and stuff, then they did some spell to try and find you"  
  
"What?!" said Dawn, "No, I checked, they can't find me with spells, the blood thing"  
  
"Buffy was saying something similar to that as well"  
  
["Willow, you said you couldn't do a spell to find her, couldn't you have been doing this spell a long time ago?" demanded Buffy.  
  
"I can't do a big world wide spell. This one doesn't use blood, so its not as strong, it'll find her if she's still in the city, as long as we have something of hers, which we do"]  
  
"But I wasn't in the city" said Dawn  
  
"Which would be why you're not having you're door kicked in by an angry blonde as we speak" said Callie.  
  
"I guess not" laughed Callie "Although one did try this morning, Draco forgot his key"  
  
"So you gonna tell me where you are now?" she liked Dawn and she didn't want to give up a friend here.  
  
"Are you going to Slayer School?" replied Dawn, not answering the question.  
  
"You're not meant to answer a question with a question. But yes, I'm the newest student at the Anya Williams Academy for Girls, you know as long as Buffy doesn't do her scary door kicking routine again"  
  
"I doubt she will she saves the really bad tempers for me and demons trying to bring about the apocalypse but if you're going to the Academy I can't tell you where I am"  
  
"Don't you trust me?" asked Callie sounding hurt.  
  
"No, it's not that. I'm not saying you're going then you'll be in this world where you never know when somebody's going to kill a demon and suddenly become telepathic or some big bad first evil could come and they tend to know what's going on in your head. Plus who know how many tricks Willows got up her sleeve. I'm being completely paranoid here I know, but then again I was being paranoid when I left but the Buffy kicked my door down"  
  
"You're starting to worry me about just what I got myself into"  
  
"Don't" said Dawn. "You're choice will be difficult, the training will be intense and from what I've heard some nights you'll want nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep for at least a week. But you'll be making a difference, even when you can't tell it you'll be saving lives daily, or nightly even"  
  
"You make it sound like I'm going to be a superhero"  
  
"I always used to think Buffy was a superhero" said Dawn with a smile on her face "I mean obviously I'd tell her that I thought she was self involved and all the rest of it, but secretly, I thought she was amazing. Besides, super powers? Killing the evil demons who also have superpowers, that pretty much makes you a superhero, only without the annoying tights"  
  
"I thought only male super heroes wore tights"  
  
"Yeah, and they're underwear on top, what's with that anyway?"  
  
"I dunno, but all the female superheroes seem to wear skin tight or low cut or both. Often available in leather"  
  
Dawn laughed. "Wait until you meet Faith, she's all skin tight and leather, and Buffy isn't exactly a stranger to leather either. Thinking about it I think to be a slayer you need at least one leather coat and one pair of leather pants, that must be their costume or something"  
  
"What no cape?" asked Callie sounding horrified.  
  
"No, but if you follow Angel's lead you can make a long black leather coat do the cool flaring out behind cape like thing. More of a tortured brooder look than a superhero look though"  
  
"Angel's another slayer?" asked Callie.  
  
Dawn laughed again. "No, Angel's a he, Buffy's ex. A vampire he actually, but he's a good guy, gypsy curse gave him his soul and now he fights for good"  
  
"Right, so do a lot of vampires have souls?"  
  
"Only two" said Dawn without thinking. "Um, only one; Angel, there was another but he died but don't worry ensouled vampires aren't all that common, it's not like you have to do a soul test before you dust one"  
  
"Thank God, because this is confusing enough as it is" said Callie. She looked at the clock in her apartment and swore silently "Listen I have to go now, I've handed in my resignation at work but if I want the pay check at the end of this month which includes the last three weeks that I've already done then I have to work this last week"  
  
"Okay, well I'll call you; if you're gone then I'll try calling the academy"  
  
"I don't get a number?"  
  
"Sorry, I'm being paranoid again"  
  
---------------  
  
"You were on the phone for a long time" stated Draco as she came out of the bedroom over an hour after going in.  
  
"You trying to find out who I was talking to or were you planning to bitch about bill?" said Dawn with a grin.  
  
"A) I want to know who you were talking to, although thinking about it as the only earner here I'm the one paying the bill, I'll bitch later. I caught a little bit but not enough of the conversation to work out what you were talking about"  
  
"What did you hear?" she asked, by his attitude she was guessing he hadn't heard anything slayer/vampire related.  
  
"Something about underwear on top of tights and skin tight leather" he said with a smirk "Care to elaborate?"  
  
"It was Callie"  
  
"Our old neighbours into the skin tight leather? And we moved? I'm thinking we made a mistake their"  
  
Dawn just rolled her eyes  
  
"So did she mention your sister?" he said turning more serious.  
  
"Yeah, I was right. Buffy arrived kicked our door down and searched the apartment"  
  
"Does she always resort to violence?"  
  
"Yeah. It's actually a good thing you didn't stay behind. I never thought about it before but Callie says she was thinking about eviscerating you herself and handing you over to a friend who's really good with the torture"  
  
"So, your sisters not exactly normal is she?" reflected Draco  
  
"You have no idea" said Dawn while laughing.  
  
"So does the weirdness and fondness for violence run in the family?"  
  
"Maybe" said Dawn with a smirk. "But don't worry; if I was going to go all teen slasher on you I would have done it a long time ago"  
  
"I'm not worried, the only thing scary about you with a knife is just how badly you manage to slice those carrots"  
  
"Hey" said Dawn hitting him.  
  
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There you go, another Chapter, lots of dialogue. It also seems kinda short; maybe that's just me though. Hope you enjoy, please review, thanks for all your reviews so far, feel free to review again.  
  
Next chapter a few secrets may be revealed or maybe that's the one after. Whatever happens I'll try and get it out soon but I should really be concentrating on revising for my GCSEs right now.


	9. Chapter Eight: Demon Alert

**Eight: Demon Alert**

My runaway muse has returned! (bad pun intended, sorry) It's back for this chapter anyway. I got a few more ideas on how to go about this while doing some weird meditating thing in a random general religion class. I dunno if the muse is here to stay, but please review to let me know what you think of this chapter.

Oh and a quick warning, I'm crap at fight scenes, but I really need this one in here.

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Buffy had always talked about her 'spidey sense' tingling when demons were around. For the less super powered Summers sister there was what Dawn like to call her 'Sunnydale sense'. It wasn't anything supernatural or a power of any type, it was more like a general awareness built on experience. She noticed things and could put two and two together better than your average repressing person.

It was this Sunnydale sense that was on full scale alert one night when she was walking home from work one night. She was passing an old building, nothing special, probably been abandoned for years. What caught her attention though were the windows. They were layered with dirt and grime so not much light got through, but even less got through now. The black paper covering all the windows was new. Squatters were always a possibility, but why would they need all the sunlight blocked?

Dawn wasn't planning to get into a fight that night, but she moved her stake from her bag into her back pocket and made sure she was still wearing her cross. She quietly made her was around the building, down a side alley, until she caught sight of a window where the paper wasn't attacked properly and was hanging down over one corner.

She placed her bag on the floor and climbed up onto a dumpster, trying not to make too much noise. She had to reach to the side but she managed to jump and pull herself up until she was looking through the window. She silently cursed the effort it took to do something Buffy could have done in half the time without even exerting herself.

She cleaned the dirt off the window enough to look through and scanned the room. She knew her suspicions were correct when she caught sight of a limp body lying on the floor. She couldn't see bite marks from where she was sitting but she guessed his fate when three vampires walked into view in full game face. She sat on the windowsill long enough to hear a few titbits of their conversation, there was at least one more vamp out finding tonight's 'dinner'.

Without realising it Dawn was clenching the stake in her hand. She forced herself to put it back though. She hated to think of another person dying tonight but she couldn't stop it. She wasn't a slayer, which meant going into a vampires lair and taking on three vamps herself without any plan was suicide. As she climbed down, trying not to break anything or make too much noise she promised herself that she would come back with a plan, and she would take out those vamps.

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Draco discovered the nest a slightly different way, and it was a way that almost made him feel ill. He had been reading the newspaper and discovered several strange killings, the victims had slit throats and had died from blood loss, but even though it was suspected they had died where the bodies were found, there was no blood.

He remembered the DADA class on vampires where he had been taught that in large muggle communities' vampires used different methods of disguising their kills; one of these was slitting the throat to hide the marks. So when he had read the newspaper he had just jumped to that conclusion.

That wasn't the strange part though, no that came later. You see he felt compelled to do something about it. He had tried to ignore it, but it kept eating away at him, he knew how to kill them. He could conjure a fire to light their clothes, or use a floating spell to stake them. The fire wasn't the quickest way and they could get out of them, and you had to catch them with surprise with the stake, but it could all be done at a safe distance.

So knowing that he could stop people from dying and wasn't had eaten away at him until he had tried to hunt them. He had even managed to track down the nest to an abandoned building worryingly close to their own apartment building. He had already decided to go in during the day; if he broke a window he could do it all form the safety of daylight. Hopefully the vamps would all be asleep in their coffins or something.

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It was a Saturday morning and Draco had been sitting staring at the TV but not really watching it trying to think of a conceivable reason why he was going out today without her since they had got back from their morning run. These runs had increased to most days except Sundays. Before he had quite decided Dawn came out of the bedroom all dressed up. There was only one bedroom in their apartment, so Dawn slept on the couch, but all their clothes were in the bedroom and they took it in turns to change in there.

"Going somewhere?" he asked

"Yeah, just going out to lunch with a couple of friends from work" she lied, hoping none of her weapons were clinking in her bag.

"Really?" said Draco perking up, "How long will you be?"

"A couple of hours tops" she said, stressing the tops, "Yeah there's no reason whatsoever why I would be more than two hours" She wondered why she was bothering, she would probably have to be gone a day before Draco actually started to worry.

"Oh, well, I might go out while you're gone, you know to get something to eat, shouldn't be too long either" he said.

They gave each other quick smiles. Then Dawn went and gave Draco a quick hug. "See you later Dray" she said using her new pet name for him.

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Dawn crept into the old warehouse through a low window. It was her second stop; she'd been to church already to stock up on Holy water. She wondered if they would have beds in here or what, she'd never quite understood how vamps lived in places like this. She knew Angel slept in a bed, and Spike had either slept in a bed or on top of a tomb which was just plain icky. She wasn't quite sure what vamps did here though.

She walked as quietly as she could, her trainers silent on the concrete floor; she never understood how Buffy had patrolled in high heels, although the element of surprise was less of an issue there.

She opened a door, cursing as it creaked on it hinges and froze. She'd found them.

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Draco waited fifteen minutes after Dawn was gone to make sure she didn't come back for anything. It would look too strange if he had left straight after her. He had his wand in his back pocket and a cross that he had stolen from Dawn under his shirt. It was jewel encrusted and way girlier than he would have liked but he felt better with it on.

He had seen a back room when he had last looked in the building, and he guessed this was where the vampires slept, so he positioned himself at a blacked out window. He pointed his wand at the window, knowing once he had done this spell there would be no going back. The magic would be like a homing beacon reading straight back to him.

He did it anyway. The glass was gone and all he had to do was peel back the paper. What he saw shocked him, and it wasn't just the fact that the vamps slept in bunks not coffins. Dawn was at the door with a vampire's arm around her neck. This vampire had been the one on guard while the other slept, but the commotion was waking the others.

Dawn knew she wasn't strong enough to fight the vampire, but she opened a bottle of holy water in one pocket and threw it behind her. The vampire let go and screamed as his face bubbled and Dawn took this opportunity to pull a stake from the back of her jeans and push it into his chest.

She turned, one down, six to go? She had estimated that there were four or five of them, not seven. She scanned the room looking for exits and saw the window up high. The window with Draco in it? How did he get there?

She didn't have time to think as another vamp jumped at her. She ducked out of the way but another vamp got there first. The room was too small for this. She was outnumbered and there was no way she could win, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. As she was grabbed by another vamp she heard somebody shout, 'Petrifcus Totalus. The vampires moved he and she felt her body stiffen as the curser swore. She fell to the ground with a thud unable to move. She heard the words repeated and a vampire fell next to her. Another vamp leant over her, for a minute she thought this was it, she couldn't even close her eyes.

"Finite Incantum" said the voice, she realised it was Draco. Her body relaxed and she head butted the vampire above her. He hadn't been expecting it and leant back, stunned momentarily. She grabbed her stake and staked him.

Another vamp lunged at her and she rolled away towards her bag which she had dropped by the door. She pulled out her crossbow and shot the vampire trying to lunge at her again. A quick glance around the room told her there were two vamps left to worry about. Three out of the original seven were dead, one was lying on the floor unable to move in a full body bind and the other had somehow caught on fire.

As one vampire tried to put his friend out, another was about to jump up to the window where Draco was perched, pointing a stick? She would explain about having to stick it in the heart later. She aimed the crossbow at the one heading for Draco but as she pulled the trigger it was pushed out of her hand. She heard Draco yell in pain, then a thud as he fell to the ground. That thud was closely followed by her own as she was thrown against the wall.

She was pinned against the wall struggling to stay conscious as the vampire leant over her and grinned. It was only taking one of his arms to hold both hers. He trailed the other along her neck.

"You've already been tasted little girl" he said in a harsh mocking voice. "Maybe you should stop these little escapades"

"I'm not one to let sleeping vampires lie" she smiling sweetly.

"You think you're some kind of amateur slayer, too bad, you're not so tough and neither is she"

Dawn let out a laugh. "She? As in singular? Guess you didn't get the memo? There's hundreds of them, there are slayers all across the world training as we speak to kick you're ass"

The vampire paused. The look in her eyes said the girl was telling the truth. He shrugged, "But you're not one of them, you're not a slayer"

The words hit home for Dawn. No she wasn't a slayer that was why she had run in the first place. "I'm just her sister" she said. With all that emotion she brought her knee up to his groin then when his grip of her arms lessened she pulled one hand away and pushed the palm with all her might up into his face. The blood trickled down his face and she punched him. It wasn't a slayer punch but she put enough behind it to hurt him. She kicked him then punched him again. She didn't want to kill this one, she wanted to hurt him. She didn't care that he could kill her as soon as he came to his senses she went forward again but he dusted in front of her eyes.

Draco stood in front of her with a stake. They stared at each other for a while before moving on in silent. Draco went to pick up his fallen wand and Dawn made quick work of the last remaining who lay frozen still on the ground. The vampire on fire had killed himself already when he ran into the square on sunlight shining through the window.

They made their way back to the apartment in silence. Dawn got out her first aid kit and patched up Draco, she managed to do the cuts and scratches on her arms, but had to direct Draco on how to clean the wound on her back from where she'd been thrown against the wall and patch it up.

---------------------

They sat on the sofa, showered, cleaned and changed.

"So" said Dawn. "I guess we've both got some explaining to do"

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There you are. I hope you liked it; sorry you had to wait so long. I'm pretty sure I can carry my muse onto the next chapter because it was originally part of this one but I decided this one worked better ending here.

Once again I know my fight scenes are shit, but I'm sorry, it's just one of my faults.

As always please review


	10. Chapter Nine: Escape from Boston

Having looked at the date I last updated and realised that I haven't updated two years I did feel extremely guilty. None of the stories I write ever leave me, I know how they end and where they're supposed to go, it's just getting them there that's the problem. The filler in between is the tough bit.

I panicked a little more when I realised I haven't written a single thing since I started university. I can't remember writing for the whole summer before hand, so if you were enjoying this story then sorry it took so long. Think I'm going to force myself to do some writing from now on, just so I don't go whole year periods without doing any.

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"So I guess we've both got some explaining to do" said Dawn

"Yeah" agreed Draco. Silence followed. They stared at the floor awkwardly not looking at one another. Dawn studied her nails; Draco pushed his hair back a couple of times as the clock ticked in the background.

"I'm a wizard" said Draco in the end.

"Oh" replied Dawn. "So you did some kind of freezing spell on me back there huh?"

"Yes" he agreed, a little cautious of how she was taking this, then again she had just got back from an attack on seven vampires. The world of the supernatural clearly wasn't a stranger to her. "It was a full body bind" he explained. "I was aiming for the vampire but he moved"

"Natural reaction at magically charged coloured sparks flying at you" said Dawn absently. "So what's with the stick?"

"Stick? Oh my wand, that's what I use to do magic" He decided it would be better to just tell the whole story now. He could trust Dawn, he had known that for a while now, but he'd always kept this back. "You see, I didn't grow up in this world exactly…"

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Dawn was shell shocked. There was this whole world of witches and wizards, with their own laws and schools and malls and everything. Draco had grown up in that world, grown up with an evil dad who supported the wizarding world's very own big bad. She understood so much more clearly why he had left now; his alternative was becoming one of those death eater people himself.

Of course then her turn had come, and she had planned to just explain about slayers, and Buffy and the school, but she had ended up telling him everything. She even went into details about being the key, and all about Glory. It was like once she started talking she couldn't stop. Draco was her best friend, and she wanted him to know everything.

------------------

Draco was pretty amazed too. She had been through so much and she had just dealt with it. Years of fighting demons, and he had thought his life was hard. The two of them had just sat up all night talking, telling their life stories and asking each other questions about their different worlds, both relieved to finally be able to tell the whole truth. Eventually they had fallen asleep on the sofa as the sun rose outside.

­------------------

Dawn was the first to wake, it was around noon and she was still tired. She tried to work out what had woken her but couldn't so she got up and went to get herself some breakfast.

As she was filling the kettle up she looked out the window. Straight in front of her was the thing that had woken her up. She put the kettle down and went to wake Draco up.

"What?" he asked sleepily

"How did you say they delivered post in the wizarding world?"

"Owls" he replied, wondering why Dawn had woken him up just to ask that.

"Thought so. You've got mail!"

"What?" Draco was now very much awake. He jumped up, "Where?"

"Kitchen, there's an owl outside the window"

Draco ran through and came back with a piece of parchment. "You've got to be kidding me" he muttered.

"What's up?" asked Dawn.

Draco threw the piece of parchment to her and went to find his bag; Dawn read the letter out loud.

"Dear Mr Malfoy" it read

"We have received intelligence that you performed two full body binds, one reversal and a fire charm.

As you know underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school. The severity of this breach should result in a formal warning and your suspension from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However it has come to our attention that you have not been attending Hogwarts or any alternative school for magic, therefore a team should arrive at you place of residency within an hour to destroy your wand. As you are still a minor the team will be accompanied by your legal guardian, your father, Mr Lucius Malfoy

Yours Sincerely

Ministry of Magic

"Oh" said Dawn. "I'm guessing this is bad right?"

"Yeah, I have to move on, now. I don't have much time" said Draco as he continued packing his bag

"What's with all the I's mister?" asked Dawn placing a hand on hip. "Don't you mean we?"

"Dawn, I can't ask you to come, not when you've finally got settled here"

"You know this conversation seems kinda familiar, you know from when we had it the other way around, you came with me so I'm going with you, besides I so don't wanna be here when the bad guys with wands get here. I doubt there gonna be that impressed when I float a pencil at them, and that's about the extent of my magical ability"

Draco looked guilty as Dawn got out her own suitcase, "Sorry that you have to…"

"Stop" interrupted Dawn. "It's cool, you did the same for me, so now we're even, say no more and start packing, unless you were looking for a family reunion"

Draco paled as he increased his speed, putting everything he had into the small bag. Although they had more stuff than the last time they had moved, they managed to pack in half the time under the pressure. In less than half an hour they had everything they were taking packed. They had to leave some things behind because they were either too big or too awkward to carry.

Fifteen minutes after that they had made it onto the first bus that left the bus station. When a series of pops signified the arrival of the aurors exactly one hour after the letter had arrived the apartment was empty. Lucius Malfoy was the one who found the hastily scribbled note written on the back of the ministry's letter.

_Dear Father_

_Please thank the ministry for their advanced warning, it would have been awful if I hadn't had a chance to pack up and leave. I'm afraid to say I'm enjoying muggle life just a little too life at the moment. Thank you for coming all this way but sadly by the time you read this I'll be out of the city. _

_Sorry to have missed you_

_Draco_

Dawn had had a go at him, and complained that he was wasting time being stupid, but he couldn't resist it. His father had bullied him his whole life and when he actually got one up on him he wanted to rub it in his face all he could.

So while Lucius was shouting insults to the aurors and threatening to have them all fired for taking so long, Dawn and Draco were safely sitting on a bus headed down to Miami.

­------------------

You probably expected something a bit longer, after all it did take me two years to write. Oops.


	11. Chapter Ten:Love is in the air Reposted

Ok, found the whole version of this chapter in the end, so this post is the full chapter-you'll notice its now about twice as long as it was before!

Originally this was chapter eleven. But then I realised that as I really did not want to write chapter ten and it was going to be short and boring, a case of they moved in here, they got jobs here, etc. I decided to get on with some actual story and summarise what would have happened in the original chapter ten in this one. That way I may actually update this decade. The trying to explain what was originally going to be in a different chapter has led to this chapter seeming a little broken up in parts. Sorry about that.

Chapter Ten

Dawn was somewhat depressed. She had just spent the day waitressing in a café where everybody seemed to be loved up. Couples had been coming in all day, exchanging gifts and smiling lovingly at each other. Even the people on their own had made calls to loved ones and finalised plans for the night.

"Any plans tonight Dawn?" asked Bridget, one of her fellow waitresses as they both prepared to leave at the end of their shift. She was smiling brightly and acting interested but Dawn knew the other girl well enough to know that she did not care about Dawn's plans at all, she just wanted to brag about whatever guy she was going out with this night, who would no doubt whisk her away somewhere wonderfully romantic. Dawn hated Valentines Day.

"Quiet night in" replied Dawn with a smile. Trying to make it sound like she was not going to spend Valentines Day sitting watching movies with her roommate. "How about you?"

"Oh Nick's taking me to the lovely little French restaurant just around the corner. Very romantic, very expensive" She smiled at Dawn, who went back to gathering up her belongings. Nick was just Bridget's guy of the week, nothing to be jealous of really, because he would have ended it with her soon enough, she would bounce back and be dating somebody else in not time. That was how Bridget worked. But on Valentine's Day when she was single Dawn couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her fellow waitresses relationship, however short lived it may turn out to be.

-------

Draco was oil stained as usual when he arrived home. It was still hard to believe just how well he had taken to his new job. When they had moved to Miami he had got a job doing paperwork and odd jobs at a mechanic's. It was a small business, only one mechanic working there. He had never driven a car, never seen an engine, never really be interested in them, but there was something about this job that he really enjoyed. He had always been a quick study, so he watched and tried to learn everything he could from Derek, his new boss. He had read a few dozen books and now under supervision he was being allowed to actually do some of the work on the cars.

-----

Draco did not understand why Dawn was moping. Sure it was Valentines Day, but it wasn't that big of a deal. He had been living in the muggle world only a short period of time and he already realised it was just an excuse for the greeting card companies to make some extra cash. Watching her mope in front of the only decent movie on that night, which happened to be some romantic comedy, he started to think about it though. Neither of them had had dates since they started their new life. He couldn't even remember meeting any girls. And it wasn't like his love life had been that fruitful before he left. Slowly he began to understand the moping.

Dawn felt a little bad as she saw Draco follow her into her depression. She was a girl; she was supposed to mope on Valentine's Day, seemed unfair to drag him down with her. "First Kiss" she asked, somewhat out of the blue.

"Pardon?"

"Tell me about your first kiss" she expanded, as though it was obvious.

"Her name was Karen Rosier. She was a Ravenclaw in the year above me, she was good at Transfiguration, so I got her to help me, to try and be better than that know it all in my class Hermione Granger. We were studying together and we kissed in the library, not that exciting. It never happened again, and Hermione was still higher in the class than me so we stopped studying together"

"As first kisses go I guess that's kind of boring" declared Dawn.

He laughed. "Fine, tell me about yours"

"Fine" she said with a smirk. "I was out with one of my friends one Halloween. And there were these two guys there, so I ended up kissing this guy called Justin, who then turned out to be a vampire who tried to eat me and I had to stake him. Buffy was so pissed after that one"

"Ok you win". Deciding to carry on the conversation he asked, "First crush?"

"Easy, Xander Harris, one of Buffy's best friend's. I was obsessed with him for years; I used to write Mrs Dawn Harris all over my diary. How bout you?"

He paused before revealing a secret he had never told anyone before. "Angelina Johnson, a Gryffindor!"

"I thought Slytherin's hated Gryffindor's!" asked Dawn, remembering all that Draco had told her about Hogwarts.

"They do, but she was the first girl I ever saw play Quidditch, and she was good. I've never told another soul about this today. I always used to secretly cheer for her when I watched her play"

Dawn smiled. "That's so cute"

"It only lasted a few months" he assured her. "Last crush I ever had. Of course there were so many girls who crushed on me; I was the Slytherin Prince after all"

Dawn laughed at that. "I've had so many crushes, all worse than the last. There was Spike, who was a vampire, and soulless at the time, and in love with my sister. Then there was the guy with the jacket. I went out with him once, but the only reason I liked him was because he had this enchanted jacket which made everyone go crazy for him. Willow tried to turn him into a woman, Anya robbed a bank for him and Buffy tried to kill the Wood for him!"

"What did you try and do?" he asked, wondering how you could match up to theft, witchcraft or murder.

She looked away. "I tried to kill myself" she said quietly. Sure it had all been a spell but she still remember being so willing to let herself die, and it had been a little too easy, like maybe it was to do with more than some guy. "I figured I couldn't match u to what everybody else was doing so if I let myself die for him then he would always have this one thing he could look to and know how much I loved him"

Draco put his arm around his friend, not sure how to respond to that. To lighten the mood Dawn added, "Of course Buffy worked at the school at the time so he thought it was cooler to make out with the teacher. The one time Buffy didn't mind being thought of as old, when she was the older woman with a high school student!"

"You know, my only real relationship with a girl was with Pansy Parkinson" said Draco, deciding to change the subject slightly, but not removing his arm. "The Parkinson's are a good pureblood family, I think I always planned to marry her, so we've dated on and off for the last couple of years. I don't even like her that much, I hate the way she dotes on me for a start, even when we're not together she still follows me around and acts like everything I do is perfect"

Dawn laughed. "'Cause lets face it, you need to be told how much of an 'arse' you are sometimes" putting on an English accent for the word 'arse'

"I just want somebody with a personality, rather than a lapdog"

Draco looked down at the Dawn at the same time she looked up at him. His arm was still resting comfortably around her shoulders, in that split second everything changed. Their faces seemed to be too close, Draco's gaze was dragged from her big blue eyes to her lips, they seemed to stay there, silent and frozen for an age, though it was probably just a few seconds. Finally their lips connected for a deep passionate kiss.

They both pulled back quickly. Dawn looked away turning somewhat red, Draco found the ceiling had suddenly become very interesting. Both were resisting the urge to 'yuck'. Then Dawn started to giggle, Draco looked at her as though she were mental, but then joined in, until both were in fits of laughter.

"I think that's what kissing Buffy would feel like" admitted Dawn when the laughter subsided.

"No sibling's but I think I get the gist" he agreed. "Let's never do that again"

"Definitely never again" she shuddered a little. And then she started to giggle again, restarting his laughter. When they finally settled down they sat back and finished watching the movie like nothing had happened.

------

AN: Sorry if you were hoping for a D/D pairing, this story will not be having one. They are best friends, nothing more, I've had this kiss in my head for ages though, thought they should just get it out of the way so they (and all readers) would know for sure that it's never gonna happen.

And btw, the Draco the mechanic thing is something I've had in my head the whole time, so it may seem a little odd that he'd never seen a car before and now he can fix them but I really wanted to have him as a mechanic. So there.


	12. Chapter Ten: Deadly Dating

Eleven: Deadly Dating

It had been one week now since Dawn and Draco had shared that one embarrassing never to be repeated kiss. Although it hadn't been discussed they both felt that they needed to get out there and start dating, and coincidentally they both had dates that Friday night. Funnily enough they had both been asked out rather than had to do any asking, and their dates were going to be picking them up.

Draco's Date was called Abigail. She attended the local high school and had taken her car to Derek's Garage a few days ago. She had been quite enamoured by the young mechanic who she met there, and she had come back the morning before to ask if he was free. Draco's nationality showed somewhat in that he had never actually seen a girl in her cheerleading uniform, not this close up anyway. Abigail was attractive enough anyway, but in that uniform he couldn't refuse when she asked if he wanted to go out one night.

Dawn's date actually lived in the same building as they did. She had seen him around a few times, said polite hello's, but had only really spoken to him when he came to the café where she worked and recognised her. They had chatted a little and then when her shift was over he had walked her home. Then he had asked if she wanted to go for dinner with him. He was a few years older than her, old enough that Buffy definitely would have had something to say about it, but Buffy was not around, so she had accepted.

And that was why she and Draco were both spending so long getting ready that night.

"Dray!" she whined, dragging out the nickname. "It's my turn in the bathroom" she could never quite understand how a guy could spend that long in the bathroom.

"I'm done" he said finally coming out. "Do I look alright?" he was wearing smart jeans and a plain black T shirt. He looked good and they were only going bowling, but he was still nervous, as this was his first muggle date, in fact, he'd only ever dated Pansy Parkinson, and as he'd told Dawn, she tended to just follow him round like a lovesick puppy and agree with everything he said. And she never ever wore short skirts like the one Abigail had been wearing as part of that cheerleading uniform. The one thing he was grateful for was that Dawn had taken pity on him and taken him bowling the night before to introduce him to the activity he'd never done before. She covered all the basics of snacks, shoes and throwing the ball so it actually hit a few pins.

He was ready earlier than he needed to be so he found himself sitting flicking through some TV channels, paying attention to none of them for a while. When Dawn finally came out of the bathroom he was impressed. She had curled her hair so that it was not its usual poker straight, but instead fell in waves down her back. She was wearing a midnight blue dress that fell just above her knees, making her look older and more sophisticated than he was used to. She was wearing matching high heels and carrying a small clutch purse. He was aware that his friend was looking extremely attractive, but he only felt the protective urge to threaten her date with a shovel if he acted inappropriately with her.

"So how do I look?" she asked doing a little spin.

"Alright I suppose" he shrugged nonchalantly. She threw the nearest object she could find at him, which happened to be at his jacket as he laughed. "You look great Dawn; I'm going to have to threaten your date. How is they do it in your family? Something about getting beaten to death with a shovel?"

"Don't!" she groaned. "I ran away from them remember!"

A knock at the door had Dawn running back to the bathroom to double check her hair. He laughed at her antics as he went to answer it, hoping it would be her date arriving first so he could have a stab at the shovel speech. It wasn't however. He opened the door to find Abigail standing there in high heeled boots, tight jeans and a top that left a gap of a few inches above her low cut jeans and was tight on her chest. "You look great" he told her, wondering why he had ever thought wizard clothing was better than muggle. Robes were definitely no match for painted on jeans and bare flesh showing.

"Thanks" she said smiling brightly. "So are you ready to go?" She was picking him up simply because he didn't have a car of his own.

"Sure" he replied. He picked up his jacket, called out a goodbye to Dawn who was still fussing with her hair, then headed out of the apartment with Abigail.

--

Dawn did not have to wait long before her date arrived. She smiled Sam was tall dark and handsome, and he was taking her out to an expensive restaurant. She idly thought how she would finally have a story to rival the ones her workmate Bridget was always telling about handsome men whisking her away on numerous dates.

After telling her how lovely she looked Sam led her down to the front of the building where he hailed a taxi.

"Don't you have a car?" she asked, sure Draco had been lusting after his car at some point, due to his new car obsession.

"Yeah, but the thing only starts when it wants to" he replied. "And apparently today isn't one of those days"

She wasn't really bothered, so she settled back in the taxi and allowed him to take her to the restaurant.

--

Draco was trying not to panic. Abigail had not mentioned that this was a group affair. Once arriving at the bowling alley they had met up with four of her friends. Two more couples. He had been prepared to just spend time with Abigail, he was not used to socialising with this many muggles, or any muggles other than Dawn really, and she knew all there was to know about him. There were so many people that if he slipped up somebody was bound to pick up on it. Dawn had told him before hand to just blame American English culture differences, but he was still nervous.

He may not have ever been to an American High School but Dawn had made him sit through enough High School movies to recognise that he was not hanging out with the geeks. One of the guys had on his letterman jacket he already knew Abigail was a cheerleader; he would guess the same of the other two girls. So on the plus side he had never even gone to high school but he was already dating a cheerleader and hanging out with the 'cool' kids.

After a while he let his guard down a bit and actually began to enjoy himself. Ok so the conversation wasn't exactly the most stimulating he'd ever had, and he wasn't the best bowler in the world, but his naturally good co-ordination meant he wasn't making an idiot of himself either, and it was only his second time. After accidentally admitting that once he covered it up with the excuse Dawn had given him saying that bowling wasn't as popular in England as it seemed to be in America.

--

Draco was not the only one having a good time. Dawn was also enjoying herself. The restaurant was nice, the food was good and the company was better. Sam was funny and charming and Dawn was trying very hard to act like the sophisticated woman she had dressed as, rather than the gushing schoolgirl with a crush that kept urging to get out. So far sophistication seemed to be winning, but there was still time.

--

It was Dawn who arrived home first. Sam walked her to the front door and for some reason she couldn't fathom she invited him in. It was a first date, and Draco would be back soon, so nothing was going to happen, but she didn't want the date to end, so she invited him in, making it perfectly clear that when she said coffee she meant nothing more than a caffeinated beverage. He smiled at that and accepted.

Despite her insistence on coffee only they did end up making out on the couch while waiting for the coffee. She smiled at him and stood up to go and pour the coffee. He grabbed her arm as she went to walk away. Then all hell broke loose.

--

Draco's date was driving him home again, after a pretty good evening. He doubted he would ever be friends with any of the people he had hung out with all night, but it hadn't been too bad. It didn't hurt that his date was that attractive either. She joked when they got back to his apartment building that as she had driven him it was only right that she should walk him to his door. So she had, and then outside the door she had kissed him and he had been more than willing to kiss back.

"You know my parent's aren't expecting me home anytime soon" she told him pointedly. He smiled as he put his key in the door and opened the door to his and Dawn's apartment. Then all hell broke loose.

--

Dawn's date's eyes were glowing red in a way that no normal human's did. At some point he'd grown three inch claws, little horns were visible on his head and he was growling in an unnatural way. All these changes had occurred as he grabbed her arm. She cursed herself for not noticing anything demonic about her before, or even suspecting that he might be mildly demonic. He lunged at her and she threw herself to the floor just as the front door opened to reveal Draco and his date in the doorway.

Dawn found herself pinned down by the demon that she didn't recognise so Draco had to grab the nearest weapon, which was an axe hidden on the sofa. He launched the axe into the thing's back which did nothing but make it turn around and face a now weaponless Draco. He backed up but Dawn picked herself off the floor and pulled out the axe and launched it again, this time through the things neck. The blood that spurted everywhere was black, but the axe got stuck halfway though the neck and somehow the damn demon was still alive. Draco had managed to find a sword stowed away somewhere and took the neck from the other side, so between them they'd managed to behead the thing and actually kill it. They both sighed in relief.

Draco turned to his own date who was staring at the body on the floor eye's wide. "Abi" he started, but didn't have a chance to say anything as she was already running away.

Dawn sighed looking at her dress in dismay as she sat down. "I was gonna return this thing tomorrow!"

Draco shut the front door then sat down next to Dawn and they both watched as the two parts of the demon's dead body seemed to melt away leaving nothing but a few black blood stains. "Do you think I can keep his car?"

--

An: so I figure at my current rate I should finish this story in about 2030, maybe 2025 if I step up the pace.


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